Forgotten Memory
by Aeolian Wind
Summary: A family who lost a loved one; a loved one who lost a family. Sasuke dies at the young age of sixteen due to cancer. He's given a second chance at life, but at what cost? NaruSasu
1. Chapter 1

It had happened. Cancer had chosen another victim to add to it's list. No one had seen it coming, and no one was prepared.

Although, no one could decide when cancer decided to smother out another life, and when it decided to do so. Sasuke's life was no different.

He had been stricken with lung cancer. He didn't even smoke, and neither did his family. He hadn't been near any kind of smoke at all.

It was improbable, it was unfair, but when has something like cancer ever been fair?

Sasuke remembered when he was laying sickly on his hospital bed, wondering when the time would finally come when he could breathe no more.

He remembered the faces of his family. _They_ looked like the ones who had contracted some disease. Worried, tired, worn, defeated. Those were the faces Sasuke watched as he was put through countless treatments. Sadness, regret, _pain_.

Sasuke was pronounced dead at 2:06AM. An early Friday morning.

An average person didn't believe that anything could happen to their perfect family. They were one of the lucky ones that didn't appear on the news where drastic things happened to innocent people. No one believed anything could happen to their perfect image of life, until that unlucky event did happen. When that time came, it hit harder than any stone; cut deeper than any blade. Reality washed over them like a tidal wave of cascading devastation. Leaving nothing but empty regret in its wake.

What could I have done differently?

What did I do to deserve this?

_Why did it have to be me…_

Questions that the world ultimately left unanswered. A truth that was life's most darkest secret.

Sasuke's family was left feeling void, and hopeless. How could the earth keep spinning… as if nothing had ever happened? How could the earth keep spinning… _when they were feeling so much pain_?

People kept smiling, people kept laughing, people kept walking, as Sasuke drifted along to become one of the many, forgotten memories.

_A few years later_…

Naruto, a blonde haired boy with dazzling blue eyes, was seated comfortably on his sofa. He was watching the news for lack of anything better to do at the moment. It was kind of late now, and he was much too lazy to do other productive things. He let out an exasperated sigh at the mess that surrounded him on all sides. His house was littered with paper cups, plates, and plastic spoons. Confetti was stuck in his hair, and a small slice of cake was left untouched on his brown, coffee table.

It had been his birthday, his twenty first birthday, and his friends had celebrated with a surprise party. It was a nice thing to do, and he appreciated it a lot, but now he was left with the daunting task of cleaning up after them all, whom had been too drunk off their asses to offer any actual help. Yes, there had been beer, and copious amounts of it. Naruto himself wasn't much of a drinker, so he didn't indulge himself in but one cup.

His friends left shortly after ten. Figuring they had done enough damage by then to leave a lasting impression on Naruto as this birthday being the most awesome. Which, it would have been, had they not stormed in like a tornado and left his home to be considered nothing more than collateral damage.

"_And so, Aiko Mitarashi has died today of cancer…"_ Naruto shook his head and glowered at his TV. "I don't wanna hear this." He lifted his remote and turned it off before flopping down on his back on his couch.

Naruto never did like hearing about sad things. He hated it when they talked about death and people dying due to storms and earthquakes and other such natural occurrences. Life was sad enough without the news accentuating it.

It was getting late now, probably best to start on the arduous task of cleaning up his house. Naruto audibly sighed at the prospect of having to clean everything on his own. He had no family to speak of. No one he lived with. His parents died in a car accident when he was at a young age.

He was adopted by a man with a promiscuous nature, white hair, and a lecherous smile. Jiraiya was his name, and he cared for Naruto until he came of age. Naruto didn't ask for anything much of the man, and was quite grateful he had even put up with his rambunctious ways until he was old enough to find his own place. Albeit, Naruto was lonely at times when the man went off on one of his escapades around town. But he bared it with a wide grin. What more could an orphan with no where else to go ask for?

Another sigh escaped his lips, as he got to work on removing the Styrofoam cups with liquid still inside them from his coffee table. He poured out the beverages in the sink, and disposed of the remainder in his trash can.

Naruto placed his hands on his hips, standing there fixated above his trash can. He introspectively stared into it unblinking.

It was way too quiet in his house for his liking. He hated not having anything to concentrate on when his mind wandered to depressing subjects. Like, what if my parents hadn't of died that day? Would I be a different person altogether? Why did _my_ parents have to die?

He hated feeling like one of those unlucky ones on the news where their families were killed by an earthquake, and they weren't there to do anything about it.

Stupid thoughts, now wasn't the time. Naruto didn't have the energy to be thinking about any of this to begin with. He scratched at the back of his neck, and ran a hand through his unruly, golden hair. Great, now he was too somber to work on cleaning the rest of the house. Maybe he should listen to Kiba and see a psychologist. Either that, or get on some anti-depressants.

_Or maybe I should stop thinking about the what if's and start moving on with my life…_

Regardless, Naruto found he wasn't in the mood to do much of anything anymore. So, he decided to take a walk to ease his thoughts and the growing headache blooming in his forehead.

It was a soothing night stroll. The wind was blowing gently at his tousled hair. The stars were glittering beautifully in the clear, night sky. The pestering sound of crickets and other such night dwellers could be heard from every direction.

It smelled of early spring. Flowers were blooming in the yards of the people he passed. He had his hands in the pockets of his jeans, relishing in the sights, sounds, and smells.

The gentle humming of cars could be heard not too far off from where he was walking in his neighborhood. Not many people were out and about at roughly 12AM. So Naruto had it good for the time being. He could simply forget about his troubles and tribulations, and step out of himself for a short time.

It gave him a different perspective of the world. That, perhaps, where there was a nasty side to it, there was also a very stunningly beautiful one too. The thought gave him some semblance of hope that he would one day truly be happy. And that he wouldn't have to hide most of his pain behind forced smiles.

He was on the highway now. Walking along the sidewalk passed buildings and alleyways. He wasn't quite sure where he should go, or for how long out he should bother staying. He had the idea in mind to stop by one of those twenty-four hour supermarkets and get himself something sweet.

That always made him feel better when he was at his worst. Not many people were on the sidewalk, and the cars started to dissipate as time went on. That was the only problem with it being night. It was also, relatively quiet.

No one to focus on. It bothered Naruto to no end.

He thoughts trailed back to his current predicament. About his eternal loneliness, and yearning for a normal life. His friends helped him sometimes with the loneliness, but there was something missing from his life. A spark he just couldn't place. It left him feeling empty in a part of his heart. Naruto glowered at the sidewalk beneath his feet in dismay. Yes, it had started all of this… in some way or another.

He decided to stop for a moment, and leaned against one of the many buildings. Reaching into his pocket, Naruto pulled out a cigarette and an orange lighter. He had promised himself to quit the addiction, but found it too much of a tedious endeavor. He lit it up in one fluid movement before replacing the lighter back into his pocket.

He inhaled deeply, letting the nicotine infiltrate his system and calm his abused nerves. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the brick while holding the cigarette in place between his fingers.

It was the only thing that seemed to help him at these times. It wasn't as if Naruto was some kind of pessimist. Quite the contrary, Naruto prided himself in being quite optimistic actually. But, even someone so resilient as he couldn't help but feel depressed every once in awhile. About something or another.

He slowly opened his eyes to stare forlornly up at the dark expanse of sky. Naruto wondered how long he would be able to endure all of his internal torment. It's not like he was considering suicide, oh no, he wasn't like that.

He just wondered if someone could get so fed up with being depressed that they got fatally sick. That was possible, right?

His musings were interrupted by a sound. Naruto was on alert as he pushed himself off the wall and listened closely.

He faintly heard it a second time. It sounded like… someone coughing? Naruto stuck his head around the corner leading into the alleyway he was near. He saw the silhouette of a person. It was hard to tell from where he was standing. On closer inspection, it sounded more like this person was dry heaving.

It was Naruto's first instinct to offer as much help as he could provide. So he found himself approaching the person with careful steps. He became close enough to tell the person was a boy. A young, slender looking male with wild, black hair, and onyx colored eyes.

He didn't seem to notice Naruto, as he continued coughing violently. What shocked Naruto was that, this kid was completely naked. On his hands and knees coughing like he had water in his lungs.

Once Naruto deemed him unthreatening, he leaned down and placed a hand on his back. "Hey, are you okay?" The boy started at his touch. He jumped a little, and scooted himself away from Naruto.

Naruto tried to reach out again. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you or anything." The boy's breathing had increased exponentially, but at least the coughing stopped. His eyes were wide with fear, and confusion.

Naruto removed the jacket he had thrown on before going on his walk, and threw it over the boy's shoulders. He felt the boy's skin, and it was inhumanly cold. Like someone who didn't have blood running through their veins.

His skin was also a tinted blue color… which, was actually kind of freaky. "Why are you sitting here naked?" Naruto tried, a little bit worried about this boy now. The look that replaced the one of shocked confusion was one of pure exhaustion. The boy then fell limply against Naruto. His head hitting his shoulder with a thump.

Naruto immediately checked his pulse, and was relieved to find it faintly there. He was even further relieved to find the boy had started to turn a more rosy, pink pale instead of tinted blue.

His breathing became normal, and he started to warm up in Naruto's embrace.

Naruto was left to wonder how the boy got here, and why. His brain began jumping to the craziest conclusions. Was he strangled, then dropped off here after being raped expected to die? Naruto checked the boy's neck, and looked around for any bruises or welts. Nothing marred the boy's perfect complexion.

Naruto then checked his surroundings just in case this was some kind of set up. Defenseless boy looking like he's about to die, someone comes up to help, bam, mugged. He glanced over his shoulder, in front of himself, and above just for good measure. He found it quite odd that no one was around.

Naruto looked back down at the boy in his arms. He had seemed so shocked and confused. As if he was wondering why he was there. Naruto figured it was probably best to get this boy medical treatment. But, as he watched him, he looked completely fine. Just… shaken up a bit.

The hospital was also pretty far from where he was though… and his house was so much closer. Maybe he could monitor him for a day, and then send him off to the hospital at any sign of injury.

He gently lifted the boy in his arms and made a move to stand up. The boy grumbled a bit in his sleep, but otherwise didn't protest. He slowly began walking back into the direction of his house. The sweet treat he planned on getting would have to wait until later.

Naruto tried not to wake the boy, but didn't notice when his onyx eyes began to open. The boy didn't make a move to get away even after noticing he was being carried by a complete stranger. He didn't even move his head upward to stare at Naruto's face when he announced that he indeed, was awake.

"Where are you taking me?" The voice was devoid of any emotion. Like he was getting use to talking all over again. Naruto glanced down at him inquisitively. The boy simply leaned his head against the blonde's shoulder, and moved his hand onto his stomach to get more comfortable.

Naruto regarded his question with a shrug of his shoulders. "I was going to take you to the hospital, but I think I'm going to let you rest at my house for now. You don't look like you're hurt or anything. I know I wouldn't wanna be poked and prodded if I wasn't even hurt at all."

The raven haired boy shivered while reflexively curling in Naruto's grip as a particularly large gust of wind blew against them. Naruto held onto him tighter to make sure he didn't fall out of his arms. "It's cold…" He heard the boy say in a small voice. "No, you're just cold. When I found you, your skin even had a bluish hue."

The boy didn't respond, and the two then proceeded to their destination in contemplative silence. Naruto gave the frail boy in his arms constant glances to make sure he was even still breathing. He looked like he was borderline malnourished. Naruto wondered if he should ask the boy his name. If he was going to let him stay for a day or so, it would be best to at least know the name of the person he was helping. As he was debating with himself whether or not he should bother the boy with his questions, said person spoke first. "Why did you help me? It seemed like it was out of your way."

Naruto tilted his head downward to notice the boy was staring at him with bleary, and unfocused eyes. His eyes were dilating unnaturally whenever they passed the dim lighting of the street lights, as if his eyes were getting adjusted to having to see again. Naruto's train of thought wandered back to how the boy had gotten in that alleyway, and what exactly happened to him in the first place.

An elbow nudging against his ribcage brought him back to reality. He blinked before shaking his head apologetically. "Oh, right. I just like helping people I guess. You looked like you needed the help anyway." The boy seemed to deem it a satisfactory answer, and turned his gaze on the buildings far off in the distance.

Naruto managed to get back into his neighborhood without anyone noticing he had come back with one extra person. Once he made it to his door, he balanced the boy in one of his arms as he struggled to get his key out of his pocket.

"Did you want to ask me something?" Naruto paused momentarily from putting the key into the slot to stare quizzically down at his new house guest. At the blonde's confused expression, the boy began to elaborate on his inquiry. "You just seemed to want to. You had a curious look in your eyes." Naruto pushed the key in and opened the door to his house before stalking inside. He closed the door behind him quietly with his foot before walking to his couch and gently placing the boy down.

Naruto couldn't help but grin at him once the boy seemed to finally notice how exposed he was. He attempted to cover the remainder of his shame with the jacket that had previously been over his shoulders. "I just wanted to know your name actually." The boy's eyebrows furrowed in contemplation before voicing his answer. "Sasuke." Was his response. Naruto nodded. "Well, Sasuke, are you hungry? I could warm you up some of my dinner if you're interested."

Sasuke seemed to take his offer into consideration before looking down at his naked self. His face turned a lovely shade of pink. Naruto chuckled, and received a glare in return. "I'll go see what I have that'll fit you. I'm sure I have something." He made his way into his room. Rummaging through his closet and dresser, carelessly throwing clothes that wouldn't fit onto his bed, and occasionally the floor. He managed to find a pair of sweat pants and a white t-shirt.

Naruto walked back out into his living room to see Sasuke had passed out on his couch. He looked so small, and innocent. Worn, weak, and frail. His skin now had a pink hue to it, which looked much better. He still seemed to have some trouble breathing though. This troubled Naruto a bit.

He made his way over to Sasuke and placed his hand on his forehead. No sign of a fever. He looked over the boy a few more times just to make sure he wasn't a victim of some kind of abuse. Even in the brighter light of his house, he still didn't see any blemishes that implied such conclusions.

Naruto placed the clothing next to him before allowing the boy time to rest from whatever he had been through before he bombarded him with the multiple questions he had thought up from the moment he found him.


	2. Chapter 2

**The second chapter is finally up. ;o Enjoy.**

Light poured in from the window in the living room where Sasuke was laying on a very comfortable couch. He didn't react right away to the light, which was a bad move, for the action (or in Sasuke's case, lack thereof) caused the sun to glare at him heatedly (quite literally) from its position high up in the early, afternoon sky. The rays of light illuminated Sasuke's face, and beat at his sensitive eyes.

Eyebrows furrowed before heavy eyelids rose tentatively to stare at the ceiling above. Sasuke gave slow and deliberate blinks in order to clear his blurry vision. After a moment of staring at it, Sasuke concluded that that wasn't a ceiling he recognized. He slowly dragged his eyes away to see if there was anything that might look remotely familiar.

A TV was situated not too far away from the couch he was sprawled upon. Two recliners were placed staring at each other from either side of the coffee table to close in the small living room. The table was a nice, classy, mahogany wood that Sasuke found he rather liked. It wasn't too outlandish for the style of the house, and gave it a more cozy feel. After admiring the décor, he noted that nothing really seemed to be familiar in the small home, which led Sasuke to the conclusion that he was in unfamiliar territory.

Where exactly… was he? _Think Sasuke… think! For all you know you're in some rapist serial killer's house that plans to… rape you and then kill you (What more would a rapist serial killer do anyway?)… that was nice enough to give you a blanket? Do not be fooled. Who knows what obscenities someone like that could do to you. _

_You being naked on their couch does nothing to remedy the situation. _

Before he was reduced to fight or flight mode, memories of the previous night flitted passed his mind's eye. Oh, that's right… someone had helped him out yesterday. A blonde man that looked a bit older than himself. Sasuke allowed himself to calm considerably. What did the guy say his name was again? Sasuke didn't remember him saying anything about his name. He'd have to ask the next time the man walked into the living room. Speaking of said blonde, where was he? And what time was it anyway?

The house seemed barren of any living organisms save for himself. He didn't hear anything in any of the other rooms either.

He didn't really feel like getting up at the moment to go searching, or to find out what time it was. It was indeed, a very comfortable couch.

But there was something bothering him, and it wasn't his complete lack of dress. (Or at least… it wasn't _just_ that)

He remembered waking up in that alley without being able to breathe. He had also been extremely cold too.

Sasuke laid motionless for a moment. His brain going into overtime thinking about how he could have possibly gotten there in that dark place. Everything was fuzzy around the edges. The only thing he really remembered was the night before. Hell, he didn't even remember his middle or last name.

Something told him that wasn't exactly a normal occurrence. He wasn't even sure how he had remembered his first name. He just had this feeling that his name was Sasuke, and went with it.

But there was this other nagging feeling in the back of his mind that told him he wasn't suppose to be here at all. He tried to remember why exactly he wasn't suppose to be here, but all he got out of it was the starting of a migraine.

It was probably best to drop the thoughts altogether for now. Besides, if he had amnesia or something, memory came back with time, right?

The sun's vibrancy had failed to wane as it continued to shine right into Sasuke's sleep-ridden eyes. Sasuke grumbled in annoyance at how bright it was. He huffed in disdain. "Keep staring at me like that, and I'll freeze you over with _my_ glare." Oh great, now he was talking to the sun. Maybe he had been at a party, got lk**F**oa**U**lcm**C**ms**K**elt**E**fie**D**ola**U**ng**P**af kind of drunk, stripped naked, fell out of a building, and gotten himself a concussion. It could explain the amnesia. Maybe also the need to splutter nonsense to unfeeling objects. Although, his head didn't hurt or anything. So, maybe that wasn't exactly how it happened.

None-the-less, the sun seemed to take heed of his warning, and hid behind some graying clouds.

Sasuke sighed deeply. He was kind of hungry, and the blanket that Sasuke assumed his blonde host threw over him was beginning to feel hot and itchy. He rested his head to his right where some clothes came into viewpoint. He hadn't seen those before. Guess he had been too caught up in the fact he didn't know where he was.

_I guess those are for me._

He sat up stretching his arms over his head while letting out a long, drawn out yawn. One of his arms let out a crack of protest. He threw them down into his lap, and gazed lazily at the clothes piled up on the coffee table.

Sasuke tried to reach for the clothes, but his half-assed attempt left him empty handed. His arm flopped down beside him limply. He tried again, stretching out his fingers in the hopes it would provide the extra distance he needed, but even the second time ended in failure.

_Stupid blonde. Why did he have to move the coffee table so stupidly far away?_

Sasuke then maneuvered his body into a different position where his upper body was twisted to the right. He bent forward in order to grab the clothes for a third time. Unfortunately, where he seemed to lose a lot of his memory and sanity, he also appeared to lose his sense of depth perception as well.

He fell unceremoniously to the floor in a heap of naked limps, mumbling angry curses into the carpet, struggling with himself to get up.

If he had been in a lighter mood, he would have yelled out fucking "Whee!" at the distance from the couch to the ground, and when his head collided with the floor.

It was then that he heard the sound of jingling keys followed by the doorknob being turned and opened. Sasuke's struggles became more animated as he tried to get up. The least he could do was grab the blanket. Footsteps sounded to the left of him, as he felt the presence of someone looming over him. He ceased his movements; not really feeling like making himself look any more ridiculous than he already did.

"Oh, you're up." Sasuke turned his head to stare upward when he heard the man above him speak. It was his blonde host. The man was standing above him with a comical expression of mirth on his face. Apparently Sasuke's pain humored him. Damn the blonde morons of this world… damn them all.

Sasuke couldn't fight against the heat that rushed to his face at being caught in such an awkward position. When he couldn't find anything better to do, he glared up the man above him. It seemed though, that his threatening levels dropped significantly by the hint of a smile on the blonde's lips.

"Do you need any help there?" He wasn't even trying to hide his amusement! Sasuke glowered at him even though he looked to be in no position to be glaring. "I'm fine." Was his answer. The blonde didn't seem to accept it, as he leaned down to hoist Sasuke up by his arms, placing him back on the couch. Afterwards, he grabbed the clothes on the coffee table, and handed them to Sasuke.

Sasuke restrained himself from snatching at the material. He really didn't want to offend the guy, and get himself thrown out. That's all he'd need. If he was worried about rapist serial killers before, he'd be worrying about them a lot more if that happened. But damn… the guy didn't have to laugh at him.

"So, are you feeling any better?" Sasuke bundled up the clothes in his lap. He fought between answering the question with, "I will stab you through your retina, and pierce your brain." and "Oh, I'm fine now that you've seen everything that I could possibly have to offer, thanks for asking."

"I'd feel a lot better if I could put some clothes on." Well, at least it wasn't as surly as the other two options. The blonde sheepishly scratched at the back of his neck. "Oh, right. I'll just step out of the room and let you do that." True to his word, the tall blonde walked off into what appeared to be the kitchen from Sasuke's point of view.

He didn't need to be given another chance as he hastily slipped on the grey, sweat pants, and threw the white t-shirt over his head.

Sasuke allowed himself to collapse on the couch after he was now clothed. He glanced over at the kitchen to see his host loitering around. No doubt the blonde moron wanted to know more about how he had managed to get into that alley in the first place with how disoriented he had been. He had probably thought of a whole slew of questions. Although, Sasuke doubted he'd be of much help to him. His own memory seemed to be very vague and distance.

It kind of bothered him now that he thought more on it. He didn't even seem to have the answers to some of the most basic of questions. _What were the names of my parents? I don't know… Where do I live? I don't know… What did I have to eat two days ago? I… don't know…_

The blonde in the kitchen peeked his head out from around the corner. He grinned once he noticed Sasuke was now fully dressed, and made a move to walk over to him. He sat down beside the raven haired boy in much the same way Sasuke himself had. The man leaned back against the material of the couch, and rested his arm on the arm of the it.

The two didn't speak for a while. Opting to just ponder silently to themselves before either asked any questions. Sasuke's eyes were drawn to the long, tan fingers tapping restlessly against clothed knees. The guy didn't seem to like long, drawn out silences. Sasuke mulled it over in his head, and decided to spare the guy who was generous enough to allow him to stay awhile in his own home by asking a question of his own. He really did want to know the blonde man's name anyway.

"Wha-"

"Are y-"

The two simultaneously started and likewise shut their mouths.

"You go first."

"You go first."

Sasuke felt his face heat up, and watched as the blonde reached a hand up to scratch sheepishly at the back of his neck. Sasuke averted his gaze to his hands, finding them to be quite fascinating. He mumbled out his question in a hushed voice. The blue-eyed man leaned in closer to Sasuke, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Huh?"

Sasuke turned his furious glare on the blonde. Even though he knew it was his own fault for speaking too quietly. "What is your name, you asinine ignoramus?" The blonde looked cheerful again. "Oh! My name is Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto then seemed to pick up on the second half of that question. "And did you just call my ass ignorant?"

Sasuke snorted in nothing short of appalled humor.

"Close… enough."

Naruto didn't appear to be deterred even with the sour look he was receiving from a very livid Sasuke. He ran a hand through his blonde hair before looking back at his house guest. "Are you hungry at all? I can make you something." The agitated look that Sasuke's face originally held vanished. He sort of felt a bit guilty for getting angry with the man sitting beside him. He was letting him stay, _and_ feeding him. What right did Sasuke have to blow up in his face?

Sasuke's stomach growled in approval when his mouth failed to reply to the offer. The raven haired boy's face just seemed to be perpetually flushed. He heard Naruto chuckle beside him while he got to his feet. Naruto stuck his tanned hands into the pockets of his jeans. His posture was more at ease, and nonchalant now that they were actually starting to talk to each other.

"You want anything specific?" Sasuke shook his head. How could he possibly ask for something specific? That would be rude on so many levels.

Naruto just nodded; not bothering to question Sasuke on why he didn't have a preference. Something Sasuke appreciated.

He followed the blonde to the kitchen, and sat down at the counter where a stool was situated. Naruto had his back to his guest as he reached into several cabinets to bring out several ingredients.

Some tomato sauce, angel hair pasta noodles, pepperoni, a large draining bowl, and a pot. Including some spices. Naruto glanced over his shoulder, and grinned at the fascinated look adorning the slender boy's face. Sasuke noticed he was being watched, and turned his head off to the side. Feigning interest in the cabinets with cups, plates, and bowls inside them.

Naruto shook his head with a grin on his face at the raven's shyness. It was understandable that he'd feel a bit uncomfortable though. Naruto could relate to that. He himself didn't like being in an unfamiliar place with a person he just met. That just meant he'd have to work harder at showing Sasuke he could relax around him.

"I hope you don't mind spaghetti." Naruto called over his shoulder. He saw Sasuke shake his head out of the corner of his eye.

Naruto considered asking Sasuke some questions now. He didn't want to come off as nosy. He just wanted to know some things that he believed he had some sort of right to know. Like, what was he doing in the alley? Where did he live? Stuff like that. He'd have to take this slow. Best not to bombard him if he intended to get on the youth's good side. He began heating up a large pot of water when he decided upon a particular question to ask.

"So, where do you live? I'm pretty sure you're eager to get back to your own house." There was a silence that followed. Naruto glanced over his shoulder in slight confusion at the boy seated on his stool.

The boy in question appeared to be quite bothered. His eyes held a look of great agitation, as his eyebrows were furrowed in contemplation. Naruto, likewise, began to worry at the growing prolonged silence that had yet to be broken.

"I… don't remember." was his awaited reply. Naruto turned around fully to stare at his raven haired house guest. This was quite worrisome. The question only made the enigma sitting before him that much more of a mystery. "Do you… remember how you got in that alley?" Sasuke shook his head after a moment. His head was downcast. His hands were placed in his lap; gripping at the fabric of the sweat pants beneath his fingers.

Naruto stared on warily. He wasn't sure what was safe to ask anymore without upsetting the teen any further. The last thing he needed was Sasuke panicking when his condition was still a mystery of its own. Even as Naruto stood there watching, the boy still looked to be having trouble breathing.

Maybe it was best to switch the focus of his questions for now. "Are you all right? You're not hurt are you?" The boy seemed a bit confused by the question. He seemed to consider it for a moment. It seemed he hadn't thought of the idea himself. After a moment, he shook his head.

"I-I'm fine." Naruto scratched idly at his golden locks. That was a relief at the very least. A smile replaced the once befuddled expression on Naruto's face. "I'm gonna finish this spaghetti up. You can sit on the couch and wait if you like. I'm sure it would be pretty boring just sitting there watching me for an hour. You can watch TV if you like. Help yourself to anything you want." He exclaimed cheerfully. Naruto watched as Sasuke schooled his originally disturbed face into one of impassive indifference. The ebony eyed teen nodded once before getting back up and sauntering his way over to the living room. Naruto had waited until the boy was out of the kitchen before he let out his held breath.

_This is doing nothing for my nerves. What the hell am I going to do with him? I guess I'll let him rest today, and take him to the hospital tomorrow. _

Sasuke felt like he was in a daze. Like this was all some practical joke that he was humorlessly the butt of. He took a deep breath in. It hurt slightly, but not as bad as it had last night. He sighed lightly, and decided to take Naruto up on his offer. He lifted the remote that had been on the couch. Turning on the TV, he sat as comfortably as someone with amnesia could when just finding out about their amnesia. The news was on. Something Sasuke found slightly surprising. Naruto didn't appear to be the type to watch the news. He pegged the guy for the type of person to watch football or cartoons.

It wasn't really all that interesting. After watching the broadcast of the weather for the next week, something else came on. A business tycoon, it appeared, was being hounded by reporters. Flashing lights were going off in abundance around him while microphones with varying logos were being pushed in the man's face. Sasuke wouldn't have been that interested in it had the guy not looked vaguely familiar. He had an impassive face with soulless looking, coal black eyes. His hair an equally dark color. It was well kept and tied in a low pony tail.

Sasuke was interrupted from his intent staring when Naruto placed a bowl of spaghetti in front of him on the coffee table. His blonde host proceeded to sit next to him with a sigh. He had glanced over at the TV while doing so.

"Oh, I forgot I even had the news on." he turned to Sasuke who was now eyeing the spaghetti. He grinned widely. "Wanna watch some football?" Sasuke momentarily stopped stirring his pasta to acknowledge the blonde. "Sure." he said before looking back down at the food presented to him.

_I figured as much._

Sasuke began to eat his spaghetti without really paying attention to the game that Naruto had become so animated about. He really wasn't all that interested in football. A fact he found strange. Didn't people with amnesia normally forget _everything_ about themselves? But Sasuke didn't feel lost or confused. He even vaguely remembered the neighborhood his host lived in, now that he thought on it. As if he had been down this road a few times in the past.

Sasuke was interrupted for the second time by the feel of an elbow prodding at his side. "You look constipated. Relax, will you?" Sasuke shook his head free of his contradicting thoughts. "Sorry…" Naruto nudged him again. "Don't be sorry." The blonde's face held a look of concern. Sasuke kept his eyes downward; poking at the food that he didn't have the appetite to eat anymore.

"I'm sure you probably want to rest." Naruto tried while watching Sasuke's darkening expression. The dark haired boy had glanced up at him. He nodded slowly after a moment. "There's a spare room just down the hall opposite the bathroom you can stay in for now. Make yourself comfortable." Naruto said with a grin. He watched the ebony haired boy stand up slowly, and walk down the hall toward the location the blonde spoke of. Naruto didn't stand until the boy had closed the door.

_Well this isn't good. He's thinking about it too hard now. Maybe I should call someone. Sakura! She'd know what to do… right?_

Naruto strode over to the kitchen in search of his cell phone. It was left on the counter next to its charger. He lifted it up and scrolled through the numerous names listed inside his contacts. Once he got near the bottom, and Sakura's name came up, he pressed the call button. The phone rang only twice before the familiar voice of one of his longest known friends could be heard on the other line.

"_Hello?" _

"Sakura! I need your help." Naruto had sat on the counter. He'd need to be in a comfortable position for all of what he was going to tell her.

"_With what Naruto?"_

Naruto inhaled deeply before speaking any further. "I know this is gonna sound kinda weird, but, I found someone in an alley yesterday."

There was a pause before he heard anything from the other line. "_Was he or she hurt? Look Naruto, I know you want to help everyone, but you shouldn't help every person that you see."_

Naruto cut her off before she could go into lecture mode. "Hear me out first. I found this boy. He looks like he couldn't be no older than nineteen. When I found him, he was coughing so bad, I thought he'd cough up a lung. And he was also naked, which was kind of weird."

Sakura seemed to be taking all of this in. "_Why was he naked in an alleyway? Was he raped? You should have taken him to the hospital!"_

"I thought that too! But there weren't any blemishes, welt, cuts, or scrapes. There is nothing on him that shows any sign of a struggle. But I haven't even gotten to the weirdest part."

Sakura was beside herself in wonder. "_There's a weirdest part?_"

"Yeah! When I found him, he was blue, and inhumanly cold. Not like he had stayed out there awhile, no. It was like he was… dead. Like he had been dead for awhile."

There was a silence that dragged on for what felt like a small eternity for Naruto. He was half expecting her to laugh at him. "_Is he with you now?_" She spoke after a moment longer.

"Yeah, he is." Naruto confirmed.

"_All right. I'll come over and see for myself._"

**A/N: The next chapter shall be introducing Sakura. Sorry it took me a long time to update. :c I've been doing a lot of school related work. (bleh) Bare with me on the updates. c:**


End file.
